The purpose of this proposal is to request funding for registration, room and board, and travel expenses of students and post-doctoral fellows who will be attending the "Gordon Research Conference on Staphylococcal Diseases," which will be held from September 7 through September 12, 2003, at Queens College, Oxford in England. The emphasis of this conference is on the biology of Staphylococcus aureus; pathogenesis of diseases caused by staphylococci; and recent advances in basic, applied, and clinical research that bear on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of staphylococcal disease. This conference, established first in 1989 and held since biannually, is the premier meeting in the field, attracting basic researchers and clinical researchers from both academia and industry. The conference is valued for high quality of the science, state-of-the-art knowledge, a collegial environment that encourages close interactions, and the opportunity for new and productive collaborations. Nine scientific sessions are planned to cover topics in genornics, cell-cell signaling, metabolic/surface factors that impact virulence, interactions of staphylococci with host defenses, novel approaches to study gene expression in vivo, preventive and treatment strategies, antimicrobial resistance, microbial stress response and virulence. There will be daily poster sessions. It will include a late-breaker session including an oral presentation of the best posters, allowing for scheduling flexibility and to assure a forum for presentation of the latest information, which can be a shortcoming of meetings that are planned a year in advance. Based on past experience the meeting will have broad international representation with speakers and discussion leaders from Europe, Asia, Australia and U.S. This will afford a unique and rich opportunity for fellowship and scientific exchange between young and established investigators in the field. [unreadable] [unreadable]